I tested out a strawberry storage hack and they lasted for two weeks

Jun 12, 2024

Strawberries are delicious when eaten at room temperature, but they must be kept in the fridge to stay fresh. Even then, they may only last for a few days, with some turning mushy and mouldy.

Richard Price at Britsuperstore said: “Strawberries spoil quickly when not stored correctly due to various factors including moisture.

“High water content makes strawberries susceptible to mould growth and decay if excess moisture is present. Their delicate structure makes them prone to bruising and damage, which can lead to faster spoilage too.”

Other factors that may cause them to rot quickly include a lack of airflow as well as microbial growth.

I recently tried putting fresh home-grown strawberries into a glass jar along with a piece of kitchen roll to see how long they lasted.

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Sometimes strawberries don’t even last three days in my fridge which can be incredibly frustrating.

To start, I simply lined the glass jar with a piece of good quality kitchen roll before lightly drying the strawberries and placing them in.

I then placed the jar back into the fridge, checking every two days to see if they had deteriorated. After two days the fruit still looked fresh and juicy and didn’t at all different on day four or day six.

When the strawberries had been in the fridge for 10 days, I decided to taste them and they were still plump and tasty, which was surprising.

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After 14 days, the strawberries still looked tasty, but a few had turned mushy and had started to discolour.

Over the two weeks, I changed the paper towel twice because it had soaked up all the excess liquid.

While it may seem convenient to wash strawberries as soon as you have purchased them, this is far from ideal, according to Richard.

This is because strawberries have a high water content, and excess moisture may lead to mould growing on the fruit quickly.

Richard noted: “To prevent moisture build-up, do not wash the strawberries until you are ready to consume them. Place them in a paper towel-lined container to absorb excess moisture.”

Sarah Bridenstine, professional baker and chef, also recommended using the paper towel “technique”.

The expert explained: “A classic in my grandmother’s kitchen was the paper towel technique. Place strawberries on a paper towel inside a container, and you’ll find that the excess moisture gets soaked up, starving off spoilage.

“If you’re in a hurry and tempted to pre-cut strawberries, be aware that convenience comes at a cost, they won’t last as long, usually around three to four days in the fridge.”